"The Best Strategy game of all time."

Now this is a strategy game with real strategy element. You won't win with just quantity, you have to plan ahead and be ahead of everyone else to win. Truly one of the best games, it deserves the title, ''The best strategy game of all time''. With 3 races to control, with a futuristic theme, you'll surely enjoy the game and you'll never look back at older strategy games. Here are the criteria I used in judging this game.

Gameplay/Controls (10 pts): Talking about gameplay. This game is a complete strategy game. You get to control any of the 3 races. The intelligent and advanced race, which is the Protoss. The humans who are overcome with greed. And the alien race, which are the Zergs. You create buildings, you create different units each having its own abilities and it's own purpose. There are also upgrades or enhancements for your units that makes give them an advantage over the others. Not to mention that each of the 3 races are controlled, built, and maintained differently and each has their own advantages and disadvantages. The Protoss have hi-tech weaponry and units, the humans are good in planning and their units are versatile and can overcome any opponent anytime and they have the strongest firepower in the game, the Zergs on other hand has Quantity. Another plus in this game is that it has a good Terrain AI. There are highlands, there are also islands that can only be navigated in a special way. There are also different kinds of terrain, there are marshes, forests, space stations, and more. There is also a good strategy element in the maps. You will have to plan first before launching an attack as the enemy can always use the terrain to his/her advantage or use them for yours. Now, the best part of this game is multiplayer gaming. Each person has his or her own style in using a certain race or a certain unit. Also, each has their own style in attacking or defending. It's also nice to practice with your friends or duke it out on the internet and gain experience and new ideas about the game. I'd also like to point out that you can create a map of your own and do lots of experiments in how your units behave and how the terrain is formed. You can also create fun scenarios like the ones in Starship Troopers. You can create a map with a base of the Terran and legions of Zerg units that is aimed at eradicating you from existence.

For the controls, it is very very easy. With the mouse control, it easy to select units and command them. The use of the keyboard is also helpful as it can be used to easily command your units. But, it really needs some practice and experience.

Storyline (10): Never did a strategy game had an excellent storyline than this game. The war between the 3 races rages on. There are surprises from the main characters in the game. You'll never know who your friends or enemies are until you reach the final scenes in the game. I bet you won't stop playing until you uncover the secrets of the story and the real plot of the game.

Graphics/Sounds (10 pts): The graphics are, for the lack of a better word, perfect. Each race is represented well. The units, buildings, the surroundings and other effects such as blasts and weapon fire are very colorful and nice to look at. The maps and the terrain are very detailed and they add to the strategy element of the game. For the sound, this game has a lot to offer. Each units has its own dialogues and some of them are funny. The sounds of the weapons and the blasts are great. They're very audible and well-timed.

Replay Value (10 pts): Trust me, you'll never have any thought of throwing the game away as this one will never keep you down. You can always play again and discover new strategies. And, if you ever tried to play a multiplayer, you'll have the urge of playing another game and finding other opponents to try out your wits and ability in playing this game.

So, don't think twice. Go out and buy one now if you don't have a copy yet. I guarantee that you'll love this game. You'll enjoy every second of it and you won't stop playing until your finger hurts. Just play moderately as this is very addicting especially in multiplayer. You'll never ask for another strategy game again.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/30/00, Updated 12/30/00